Capoeira Angola in the Deep South (USA)

The inevitable group shot

The Capoeira Angola group in New Orleans took a trip up to Jackson, Mississippi to visit the group there and participate in the Mississippi Latino Fest. Lauren documented it all on her blog, check it out.

Looks like it was a lot fun.

Thanks, L!

M Jurandir in New York

Mark your calendars...

Mestre Jurandir will be doing a weekend of workshops and rodas in New York City, October 19 - 21. FICA-NYC is still working out the details, but here is the schedule so far:

Friday, Oct 19th: Evening Training
Saturday, Oct 20th: Open Roda (10:00 am-1:00 pm) & Afternoon Training
Sunday Oct 21st: Training, and MJG's roda afterward

M Cobra Mansa in the City of Brotherly Love

Mestre Cobra Mansa will be in Philadelphia on October 5th and 6th to do workshops. Here are the details:

When: Friday October 5 (6:30 pm - 8:30 pm), Saturday October 6 (10:00 am - 1:00 pm)
Where: MLK Recreation Center on 22nd and Cecil B. Moore Avenue (map)
Cost: $15 per session
Contact: info(at)icafphilly(dotorg

Sponsored by FICA-Philly.

Thanks Eva!

Africa Bantu Event in Geneva

Here's some information on an upcoming event in Europe:

When: September 21-23, 2007
Where: Geneva, Switzerland
Invited: Mestres Braga, Valmir, Edson, Jeronimo, China, and Contramestre Andreas

For more information on this event, you can go to their website, or reach M Braga at 0041 76 576-71-61, or by e-mail at nevesbraga(at)bluewin(dot)ch

Have fun!

Capoeira Angola in Harvard Yard

Monalisa, globe-trotting angoleira and Ph.D student, sent us this email about a Capoeira Angola study group at Harvard University. If you are in the area stop by! Here are the details:

Thank you for expressing interest in joining GSAS Capoeira Angola, the first group of its kind at Harvard University.

This opportunity was conceived as an extension of Kilombo Novo, a community-oriented group in the Boston area that combines the philosophy, history, and practice of Capoeira Angola with a community and youth-oriented focus. We are excited to bring the experience of Kilombo Novo to Harvard, at a fantastic new location.

Classes will take place every Monday, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Office for the Arts (OFA), Director's Studio, located at 74 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. The first hour of the class will be devoted to music, followed by an hour of movement/dance. No experience is necessary, although energy and an open mind are crucial. The first class of the Fall 2007 semester will begin this coming Monday, 17 September. While we do not operate on membership dues as of yet, per-class donations are greatly appreciated to help support instructor, transportation and instrument repair costs.

***Please wear loose, comfortable black pants, and a yellow T-shirt. You will also need clean, comfortable flat shoes (e.g. tennis shoes), but please note that they *cannot* be the same shoes you wear outside. Shoes worn outside bring in dirt and gravel, so it is important that you wear different shoes to train. We have been given this instruction by the OFA, which has just outfitted the Director's Studio with brand-new marleywood floors.

For those of you on Facebook, please view and join the group page: "Capoeira Angola @ Harvard."

We look forward to meeting you in the Capoeira "jogo" (game). Feel free to spread the word about our class by inviting interested friends, and don't hesitate to contact with any questions.

M Valmir in Helsinki, Finland

We just received notice from Grupo de Capoeira Angola Helsinki about an event with Mestre Valmir. If you happen to be in the area the first weekend of the month I am quite sure you will not regret attending this event. Here are the details:

When: October 5 - 7
Where: Laajasalon nuorisotalo, Koulutanhua 2, 00840 Helsinki(buses 84, 85, 86 and 88 from Herttoniemi subway station)
Price: 60 euros for the whole workshop or 20 euros Friday, 30 euros Saturday, 30 euros Sunday
Registration & Contact: tapani(dot)suihkonen(at)tkk(dot)fi, +358-50-3780292

Schedule:
Friday 5.10. 18:00 – 22:00
Saturday 6.10. 11:00 – 18:00
Sunday 7.10. 12:00 – 19:00

Unfortunately we have to limit the number of participants so it’s better to register in advance. Please, bring your own instruments if possible and dress properly (shoes, trousers and t-shirt). Also let us know if you need accomodation.

Welcome!

In case you didn't get that:

Hyvät ystävät,

Tervetuloa M. Valmirin workshoppiin 5.-7.10.2007. Valitettavasti
paikkoja on rajoitetusti, joten on parasta ilmoittautua ajoissa. Olkaa
hyvät ja tuokaa omat soittimet mikäli mahdollista ja ottakaa mukaan
asialliset treenivarusteet (kengät, housut ja t-paita). Ilmoittakaa
myös jos tarvitsette majoituksen.

Paikka:
Laajasalon nuorisotalo
Koulutanhua 2
00840 Helsinki
(bussit 84, 85, 86 ja 88 Herttoniemen metroasemalta)

Aikataulu:
Perjantai 5.10. 18:00 – 22:00
Lauantai 6.10. 11:00 – 18:00
Sunnuntai 7.10. 12:00 – 19:00

Hinta:
60 euroa koko workshop
TAI
20 euroa perjantai
30 euroa lauantai
30 euroa sunnuntai

Ilmoittautuminen ja lisätiedot:
tapani(dot)suihkonen(at)tkk(dot)fi
+358-50-3780292

Tervetuloa!!!

That's cool. Have fun!

A Sweet Month of Capoeira Angola in Brazil

Finally, the photo wrap up from the 2007 FICA Conference in Rio, plus pictures from the Women’s Roda in Rio, the Malungos event in Salvador, and other candid shots of your favorite capoeiristas.

Mestre Valmir, Yuca, and Dija at the FICA-Bahia roda in Salvador.

Kristen and a friend at the women's roda in Rio.

Frio in Rio.

Panel discussion during the "Malungos" event in Salvador. Mestres Boca do Rio, Valmir, Paulinha, Poloca, Freddy Abreu, and Cobra Mansa.

Nandita and friend at the foot of the berimbau at the women's roda in Rio.

Berimbau orchestra at the "Malungos" event.

Capoeira moms!

JohnC, Harry, Mestre Mano, and AbelP.

Following Mestre Jogo de Dentro's roda in Salvador. KatieS, Nandita, M Jogo de Dentro, JenM, and AnaMaria.

Mestres Valmir and Cobra Mansa having a blast in Salvador.

Thanks to T Gege, AnaMaria, JohnC, JenM, AbelP, and others for the photos!

More pictures on the Portuguese side of the blog.

If you have pictures you want to share, you can e-mail them to us at ficadcarchives(at)gmail(dot)com, or leave in a link in the comments below.

Build Your Own Archive: As Sete Portas da Bahia

      
Interested in creating an archive for your school, or perhaps one of your own? As Sete Portas da Bahia (The Seven Doorways of Bahia), with text and drawings by the famous artist Carybé, is an essential inclusion.

Carybé was born in Argentina, and began drawing when he was 10 years old. He studied fine arts in Rio de Janeiro, and at 27, he visited Bahia for the first time. When he was 49, he moved to Bahia and began to document the everyday lives of the people of Bahia through drawings and paintings.

In As Sete Portas da Bahia, Carybé presents different aspects of Bahian culture, including capoeira, the Largo do Pelourinho, the Festa de Yemenjá, candomblé, and more through his unique drawings and some very lyrical Portuguese prose. Here he talks about the fishermen and the songs they sing as they haul in a net heavy with fish:

The sand is white; they, dark. From the intense morning light rises a song.. .hundreds of voices respond.

Their feet are planted in the sand. When the suction increases the weight of the net, they cede a step and curve more their muscular backs:

A baleia me pediu
Aderecô Aninha
Pra fazê uma devoção
Aderecô Aninha
Vou pegá na jangadinha
Aderecô Aninha
Vou me embora velejá
Aderecô Aninha
O vento pegou de proa
Aderecô Aninha
Até da volta do má
Aderecô Aninha
Vou me embora que é noite
Aderecô Aninha
Eu não quero navegá
Aderecô Aninha
Fazê dos óio candeia
Aderecô Aninha
Até hora de vortá…

Recognize this lovely song? It’s one of the corridos that Mestre Moraes sings on the Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho CD “GCAP Tem Dende”.

For a capoeira practitioner, As Sete Portas da Bahia is a great book not only for its look into capoeira and Bahian culture, but also because of the wonderful connections one can discover in the book that tie the two together (like the one above).

This book is available for your perusal (in Portuguese) in the FICA-DC Archives.
      

No Fio da Navalha in São Paulo

New information for the group No Fio da Navalha in SP:

Street: Julio Ribeiro, 120
City: Santo Andre
Neighborhood: Sacadura Cabral
State: Sao Paulo > Brasil > Cep: 09060-760
Email: cenoranofiodanavalha(arroba)hotmail(ponto)com(ponto)br
Website: www.nofiodanavalha.com (em desenvolvimento)
Telephone: (011)9853-8495
Class Schedule: Mondays & Wednesdays: 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Sundays: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Every Saturday, we have a roda followed by our samba de roda from 6:00 - 9:30 pm.

For now, you can visit the group's website here.

Thanks to Mestre Cenorinha for the information.

"Capoeira das Mães" event in Germany

Just around the corner, an event in Hamburg, Germany:

The Watutsi group for Afrobrazilian culture hosts their second annual "Capoeira das Mães" weekend in Hamburg, Germany. Three days will be dedicated to exploring
femininity and diversity inside capoeira. Besides classes in capoeira,
yoga, and pilates, there will be discussions and presentations. Watutsi
also offers day care during the weekend. The event is an homage to the
women, mothers, and girls in capoeira. "Capoeira das Mães" wants to
provide an opportunity for dialogue among the participants about their
mental and physical relationships with capoeira.

When: September 7- 9
Costs: 60 Euros for adults, 15 Euros for children age 4-12, and 25 Euros for adolescents (13-18)

To register you can download their registration form and mail it back to
watutsi(at)watutsi(dot)com.

More information at:

Afrobrasilianische Kultur
watutsi(at)watutsi(dot)com
telephone: +49 40 3571 1171
celephone: +49 173 293 5713

You can see some nice pictures of the event from previous years on their website.

Thanks to Lars for the translation!